Save Money by Maintaining Your Old(er) Car

For most, a new car is the second largest investment you can make next to a home. A good way to save money and to increase financial assets is to hang on to your current vehicle and have it maintained at your local White Bear Lake auto repair, rather than purchase a new one from a dealership every few years. As long as you maintain your vehicle properly, you can get at least 150,000 miles from your vehicle, if not more.

The Car Care Council has estimated $60 billion in preventative maintenance isn’t performed every year, confirming there is considerably more car consumers should be doing to protect their automotive investment.

“Whether it’s an oil change, replacing brakes or new belts and hoses, that periodic repair bill is a drop in the bucket compared to monthly payments on a car,” says Rich White, the executive director of the Car Care Council. “The bottom line is that a properly maintained vehicle is safe, more dependable, more fuel efficient, less polluting and more valuable.”

According to Runzheimer International, a management-consulting firm that measures living and travel costs, the Car Care Council’s claims are spot-on. Numbers from a Runzheimer study show that trading in a vehicle every 8 years instead of every 4 can save you around $2450 a year! This includes maintenance, repairs, license, taxes, insurance, and registration.